THE AUSTRALIAN PAIN SOCIETY

Postal Address

APS Secretariat

c/- DC Conference &
Association Management

PO Box 637

North Sydney NSW 2059

Australia

Head Office

Secretariat Office

c/- DC Conference &
Association Management

Suite 103, Level 1

3 West Street

North Sydney NSW 2060

Australia

Registered Charity

aeha

 

Position Papers

APS Guiding Principles for Pain Management

Pain is best understood and managed through a biopsychosocial framework, and an assessment process identifying these pain contributors is essential.

The literature into the treatment and management of pain conditions consistently demonstrates that approaches addressing biopsychosocial contributors are more likely to be successful.  In some circumstances, a sole clinician may be able to address the breadth of pain contributors.  However, interdisciplinary care provided by a multidisciplinary team is the gold standard for the management of pain, particularly in persistent pain, and is always recommended.  The literature also shows that treatment approaches focusing only on reducing pain intensity are less likely to be successful than those also addressing pain-related distress and disability. A multidisciplinary team approach is more likely to deliver outcomes sought by the person experiencing pain.

Interdisciplinary care is more than simply having multiple professions.  Rather, it is the integration of knowledge, collaboration and shared expectations and goals by the team that defines its co-ordinated nature.  The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines interdisciplinary care as “a biopsychosocial approach to assessment and management that involves a team of health care professionals working closely together within a non-hierarchical framework”.

The Australian Pain Society recommends that all pain conditions be managed with treatment approaches aspiring to the provision of interdisciplinary care.

Approved by the Australian Pain Society Board, August 2017
Reviewed and approved by the Australian Pain Society Board, August 2024

APS Guiding Principles for Pain Management   Download

Position Papers / Guidelines from the Australian Pain Society

Approved Date Review Date Position Paper / Guideline Document
March, 2024 March, 2027 The role of the Psychologist in the management of pain, 4th edition Download
March, 2024 March, 2027 The role of the Psychologist in the management of pain - Executive Summary Download
March, 2024 April, 2027 APS position statement for pain management in aged care Download
       

 

Position Papers / Guidelines from Peer Organisations

Note: Where existing Position Papers are deemed as useful references by the APS Board, they will be referenced below rather than unnecessarily duplicating effort.

Approved Date Review Date Organisation Position Paper / Guideline Document
May, 2021   Australian Government Departmentof Health funded development by Painaustralia National Strategic Action Plan for Pain Management Weblink
March, 2021   Choosing Wisely/Faculty of Pain Medicine ANZCA Recommendation 6: Do not prescribe currently available medicinal cannabis products to treat chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) unless part of a registered trial Weblink
March, 2021    International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)  IASP Presidential Task Force on Cannabis and Cannabiniod Analgesia  Weblink
 July, 2020   Faculty of Pain Medicine ANZCA  PS11(PM): Procedures in Pain Medicine Clinical Care Standard  Weblink 
May, 2019   Palliative Care Australia

Sustainable access to prescription opioids for use in palliative care
(Endorsed by APS)

Weblink

February, 2019   Faculty of Pain Medicine ANZCA PM10: Statement on "Medicinal Cannabis" with particular reference to its use in the management of patients with chronic non-cancer pain

Weblink

February, 2018   International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) IASP Statement on Opioids

Weblink
Download

December, 2017   Australian Government, Department of Health, Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Guidance for the use of medicinal cannabis in the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain in Australia

Weblink
Download

October, 2017   Royal Austalian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Prescribing drugs of dependence in general practice
Part C1: Opioids
Part C2: The role of opioids in pain management
Weblink
October, 2016    Royal Austalian College of General Practitioners (RACGP)  Medicinal use of cannabis products Weblink
June, 2015    Faculty of Pain Medicine ANZCA 

PM01: Recommendations regarding the use of Opioid Analgesics in patints with chronic Non-Cancer Pain

PM01 (Appendix 1) Quick reference recommendations for conduct of an Opioid Trial in Chronic Non-Cancer Pain

PM01 (Appendix 2) Opioid Dose Equivalence - Calculation of Oral Morphine Equivalent Daily Dose (oMEDD)

FPM/ANZCA Free Opioid Calculator App

Weblink

 

 

 

Website

April, 2015   NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation

Pain Management Programs - Which Patient for Which Program?

Weblink

Download

February, 2015 February, 2018 International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group (NeuPSIG) Pharmocotherapy for neuropathic pain in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Weblink

Download

December, 2013    Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN)  SIGN 136: Management of chronic pain, A national clinical guideline   Download
November, 2013 October, 2018 British Pain Society Guidelines for Pain Management Programmes for adults Weblink